Often framed as a weakness, vulnerability is one of the strongest attributes one could have, so much so that I would even consider it a superpower.
When people think of the word vulnerability, they often just associate it with emotions. Which, ew, right? No. Emotions are beautiful; they reflect something deeper than the surface, something that our brains cannot proclaim but our hearts can. True passion, devotion and even pain.
Yet as a culture, we seem to oppose the beauty within our feelings; therefore, making vulnerability a word that, quite frankly, makes us want to vomit.
When people in the past asked me about personal parts of my life, I have physically felt myself flinching away from the conversation. I would immediately show visible awkwardness, yearning to disappear into the shadows, hoping they won’t shed light on that conversation again.
Not that I would have anything scary or bad to say, I simply didn’t want to talk about anything remotely emotional to anyone. No matter how close we were.
However, gratefully, I have grown as a human being. Now, I won’t say I am perfectly comfortable with vulnerability; it can still be a little hard for me to open up sometimes but I will say that I welcome it much more than before.
When I first came to college, I was terrified of not being able to find community. Not just finding them but making connections, I’m not very good at that second part. Although through this process of trying to build relationships with others, I learned that vulnerability is such a key skill that forms true, genuine connections. It prevents you from performing around people.
When you’re able to be honest with those around you and truly express your feelings, people are eager to listen, intrigued and feel trusted within the relationship. This creates an unintentional desire within them to further pursue the relationship.
There is something so pure about being able to open up about situations, feelings or even flaws with someone whilst they listen without eyes of shame but understanding.
Now, many of us just assume we won’t be able to find these people and to that I want to encourage us to change our perspective of the people around us. We likely think this way simply because we never allowed ourselves to be vulnerable around them.
More importantly, if you are vulnerable and the people around you are judgmental… I hate to break it to you, but they are just not good people.
Not only are relationships built through vulnerability standing on foundations of true connection, but we ourselves grow in atmospheres that we didn’t even know about.
Transparency is healing to our souls. So by being able to speak the truth, we break away the chains holding us down. We start to walk on a path of authenticity and transformation.
Once I started being more vulnerable to those around me, I received beneficial feedback, became more emotionally mature and overall developed a healthy way of processing my feelings. All things I wasn’t exactly searching for when I came to college, but trust me, I am not regretting one bit of it.
So I hope the same can be said for you. I hope I can encourage you in some way to break that wall of yours and open up to someone. On whatever topic you feel, just in a way that allows you to be fully honest with them and yourself.
Speaking of being honest with ourselves, it’s hard to understand our own feelings when we don’t even share them with ourselves. Vulnerability gives us that chance to understand our own feelings and by never sharing them, we struggle to fully understand what our heart is trying to say.
You genuinely wouldn’t realize how much your life changes when you take a step into your emotions. You no longer perceive them as gross but as something that is worth sharing with those around you. Through this, a light is produced within you that doesn’t just shine but illuminates those around you, and encaptures them in it, all while also strengthening bonds and personal growth.
To me, this is so outstanding to witness. A genuine superpower that we all have access to, we just refuse to do so because of our own fears and anxiety, which is relatable. It’s common to be fearful of our own feelings. I must ask, how far are you willing to let your own fears dictate the way you live?
Your feelings are a part of you. We shouldn’t be rejecting them but embracing them, honoring who we are as people and taking part in such a gift that we’ve been given. Go, be vulnerable and branch into the person you were meant to be.